wildflowers – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogThu, 08 Dec 2016 18:09:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Five Ways of Making Your Lawn Betterhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/five-ways-of-making-your-lawn-better/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/five-ways-of-making-your-lawn-better/#commentsMon, 31 Aug 2015 18:39:08 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=108864Fall is a great time to get your yard ready for the next growing season. The cooling temperatures often make working outside less taxing, and some of the late-blooming plants in your yard provide a great opportunity to get a close look at many birds and butterflies.

This fun video from John Green, the popular novelist and co-creator of vlogbrothers, points out several compelling reasons why we should move away from the American obsession with the conventional lawn:

The video advocates for converting some of our lawns into productive vegetable gardens that would help produce local food to feed us. We at National Wildlife Federation think that’s a great idea, and we’d add that it would be amazing if more people also incorporated native plants that provide habitat for wildlife into their landscapes too.

With that in mind, here are five tips for converting your lawn into a landscape that is better for wildlife and the ecosystems upon which we all rely:

1. Add one new garden bed each season.

The idea of replacing your lawn can be intimidating, especially if you’ve got a large one. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day, and it’s ok if your lawn isn’t either. A good way to break up the work is to make it a goal to add one new garden bed each season. Remove the grass and add ornamental native plants, and soon your yard will be a gorgeous oasis teeming with life.

2. Focus on blooming wildflowers and shrubs.

One of the biggest arguments made in favor of lawns is that they present a clean, tidy look in our front yards. Many worry that getting rid of their lawns will reduce property values or trigger the ire of neighbors. To avoid both situations, focus on replacing lawn with native wildflowers and shrubs that have gorgeous blooms and colorful berries. You’ll not only support birds, butterflies and other wildlife, but you’ll also make your yard look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens.

3. Let your lawn be diverse.

“Weed” is a subjective term that really only means a plant growing where we humans don’t want it. The original lawns of Europe were filled with a diversity of plants (and mown by sheep and other grazing animals to boot). Here in America, we’ve developed a militant aesthetic, largely fueled by the lawn chemical industry, for lawns that are total and uncompromising monoculture. Letting so-called “weeds” such as clover or–yes–dandelions co-exist with grass will add diversity, wildlife habitat and even help fertilize the soil. You’ll also spend less time and money spreading dangerous herbicides.

4. Stop using chemicals.

One of the things that makes lawns ecological dead spaces is that we dump tons of chemicals on them each year. Whether it’s chemical fertilizers, insecticides or herbicides, these poisons reduce the local biodiversity and toxify the soil. If over-applied they can run off into local waterways. Use organic products if you must use something, but focus on reducing the size of your lawn and adding more natives plants, and you’ll have less need for chemicals.

5. Upgrade your mowing practices.

Gasoline-powered lawn mowers are noisy, smelly and polluting. Switch to an electric mower and one that finely chops clippings and returns them to the ground, where they compost and add nutrients back into the soil. Even better, use a push mower powered by you, not by fossil fuels (pushing a mower is great exercise too). Allow your grass to grow a little longer, which will result in stronger root systems that are less susceptible to drought and require less watering. Research has shown that even just mowing your lawn every other week instead of every week can have significant impacts for local wildlife.

Visit National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife site to learn more about sustainable and wildlife-friendly gardening practices and certify your green space today!
]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/five-ways-of-making-your-lawn-better/feed/39 Wildflowers Pretty Enough to Sing Abouthttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/05/9-wildflowers-pretty-enough-to-sing-about/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/05/9-wildflowers-pretty-enough-to-sing-about/#commentsThu, 21 May 2015 16:51:20 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=106324Walking down a nearby trail this weekend, I passed a patch of golden buttercups. A few minutes later I found myself singing “Build Me Up, Buttercup” as I bobbed down the trail. It got me thinking about other captivating flowers that have inspired musicians. This playlist may give you a few new songs to sing as you hike past wildflowers this spring and summer.

1. Virginia Bluebell

“Virginia Bluebell” by Miranda Lambert

There’s no better way to ring in spring, than Virginia bluebells. The flowers are visited by long-tongued bees, butterflies, hummingbird moths, and a variety of other pollinators.

Virginia bluebells in spring by Dani Tinker.

2. Sunflower

“Sunflower” by Lenny Kravitz

Named for their love for sun, these flowers are sure to brighten your day. You can plant native species to attract wildlife to your yard. Birds will eat the seeds, while many bee species enjoy the nectar and pollen.

Native sunflower species at Pleasant Valley Conservacncy. This photo, “Heliopsis helianthoides,” is copyright 2013 by bwinesett under a CC BY-ND 2.0 license.

3. Columbine

“Where the Columbines Grow” by A.J. Fynn

This song is one of the state songs of Colorado for good reason. A valley covered in these blooms is breathtaking. The native blue columbine is pollinated (depending on the elevation) by the hawk moth, hummingbirds, bees and bumblebees.

5. Rose

“Kiss from a Rose” by Seal

And about a million other songs. The variety of rose species is equally extensive. All sorts of sizes, shapes and colors are out there. If you’d like to add rose to your yard, just make sure it’s native.

Bumble bee on swamp rose in Virginia by Dani Tinker.

6. Lotus

“Lotus Blossom” by Billy Strayhorn and famously performed by Duke Ellington

Though most lotus species found in the United States have been introduced, there are a number of native lily species you can add to your backyard marsh.

9. Buttercup

“Build Me Up, Buttercup” by The Foundations

You didn’t think I’d forget to add this to the list, did you? It’s a classic. The flower has an open shape, which bees prefer. It provides enough space for the bees to gather pollen. The petals have lines, guiding pollinators to the center of the flower. The lines and other patterns are most visible with UV light, which is the wave length that many bees see.

Buttercup in Virginia by Dani Tinker.

Sing in Your Garden

Now you can rock-out while enjoying plants in your garden! It’s better for wildlife and the ecosystem they depend upon. This is the first step to becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/05/9-wildflowers-pretty-enough-to-sing-about/feed/1How to Create a Wildflower Meadowhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/01/how-to-create-a-wildflower-meadow/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/01/how-to-create-a-wildflower-meadow/#commentsThu, 23 Jan 2014 03:08:22 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=90299Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I was spoiled by the vast exposure I had to the wildly diverse attributes of this region. Summers, an especially wondrous time in my childhood, were spent horseback riding through mountain terrain in the heart of Montana, white water rafting down the Deschutes and Snake Rivers, fishing off the shores of the Columbia and North Clark Fork, and ‘roughing it’ with nothing more than a couple coolers, some sleeping bags, and a tent across the various landscapes of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming and Montana.

Our mini-road trips from one destination to the next were often broken up by stops along creek beds, wind-tousled wheat fields, and open prairie meadows where my brother and I could stretch our legs and run off our pent-up energy. When I reminisce of those times, I often find that it is the aesthetics of a place that remain with me most vividly, and the most lingering of those are the wildflowers that bloomed in such great abundance during the late spring and early summer seasons.

Perhaps it is their fleeting nature or their unruly and non-conforming tendencies, but wildflowers continue to hold a fond place in my heart where I am reminded of the whimsical curiosity and fearlessness of my youth and serendipitous splendor of stumbling across a color-filled meadow, bursting with the presence of something so delicate, and yet so incapable of being tamed.

How to Create A Native Wildflower Meadow

Taking on the task of creating a native wildflower meadow is a fun, simple, and sustainable way to not only enjoy the aesthetics that wildflowers offer, but also allows for one to enjoy the abundant wildlife species that are often drawn to these sort of habitats for things such as food and shelter. Hummingbirds and butterflies are known frequenters of these spaces, and can benefit substantially from the inclusion of such a habitat in one’s backyard.

National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program can offer a great template for individuals interested in incorporating a native wildflower meadow (or other naturally occurring environments) while helping to support local ecosystems and wildlife flourish in their natural state.

Here are some simple instructions on how to create a basic wildflower garden “meadow” in your very own garden.

Choose a plot in your garden, yard or property—any size will do!

Be thoughtful when deciding on an area of land/ground to transform into your wildflower meadow. It’s important to choose a space that is most suitable to sustain wildlife growth and development! For instance, wildflower meadows actually do quite well in nutrient poor soil, so consider taking this into account when selecting an area in which to begin your project.

Clear the area of any debris lying around.

Thoroughly rake the ground and make sure to disturb the soil.

Sprinkle a generous amount of wildflower seeds on the ground. Note: Take time to research what species of wildflowers you are planting to ensure that they are native to the region/area you live and won’t pose any ecosystem hazard once introduced to the space you have designated as your wildflower meadow.

Become a Wildlife Gardener with National Wildlife Federation. It’s free and you’ll get great wildlife gardening tips and learn how to certify your garden as an official habitat.

Erythronium oregonum

Lilium columbianum

Become a Wildlife Gardener

Want to learn more about turning your yard and garden into a haven for wildlife? Sign up to be a Wildlife Gardener with National Wildlife Federation. It’s a free community of gardeners, and we’ll send you regular tips on gardening.

I am a fan of the long weekend. So much is possible when the weekend consists of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I recently escaped the bustle, humidity and partisanship in Washington, D.C. and drove north beyond Philadelphia to the neighboring communities of New Hope, Penn. and Lambertville, N.J.

I started the day at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve with a walk led by its Executive Director, Miles Arnott. Miles led our small group on a fascinating hike of the preserve which was founded in 1934. The 134 acre preserve provides a full sensory experience, filled with an array of native and colorful wildflowers, the gurgling Pidcock Creek, and playful chirping birds. I highly recommend a visit to the Preserve for adults as well as those with kids—it’s a great way to connect with nature.

I had a lovely lunch with old and now new friends including the team at the Rago Arts and Auction Center. Founding partners David Rago and Suzanne Perrault are featured appraisers on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow. Miriam Tucker, also a partner at Rago, was there with her husband Jeff. The Rago team are friendly, art smart and well travelled. Specializing in the sale of several talented artists from the area such as George Nakashima, Paul Evans and Phillip Powell who all designed and created beautiful furniture (Mira Nakashima continues her father’s legacy at the studio he founded a short distance from where we all had lunch, al-fresco). A talented group of Pennsylvanian Impressionists and Modernists lived and painted “en plein air” (in the open air) all around this spectacular area. Their works are also part of Rago auctions, not surprisingly, as these artists managed to capture the charm and atmosphere of that vicinity so well.

The outdoor patio at DeAnna’s Restaurant and Bar.

I highly recommend dinner at DeAnna’s Restaurant and Bar in Lambertville, sometimes described as the hippest restaurant, in the oldest bar, in the smallest city, in the U.S. If it is true that you eat first with your eyes then with your mouth, then open both wide. The outdoor patio is speckled with oversized metal containers filled with herbs and vegetables plants. The mint for my cocktail was picked just seconds before it arrived at on our table. Lisa Nichols, DeAnna’s partner has taken container gardening to an entirely new level by converting commercial grade containers into raised beds. A smaller version would be a great addition to my backyard habitat.

I spent the night at Porches Bed and Breakfast in New Hope, Penn., built in 1830. B&B owner John Byers has decorated each room with an artful and eclectic flair and he serves an aromatic and tasty breakfast overlooking the gardens. Porches is conveniently located in the middle of town near New Hope’s bistros, shops and historic sights. So, pack a bag and head towards sister “cities” Lambertville and New Hope, or an outdoor oasis near you.